Cannabis Suppositories: Is the Posterior Superior?

January 22, 2015Suppositories are often the butt of many jokes and puns, but rectal administration of cannabis has many advantages. In addition to being a viable option for patients who can’t ingest or inhale cannabis, cannabis suppositories also begin to work quickly and last for a long time. Best of all, suppositories are efficient: up to 70 percent of the medicinal compounds in a suppository are bio-available.

What Are Cannabis Suppositories?Cannabis suppositories are usually conical or torpedo-shaped masses that are administered rectally. They are around an inch in length and made of either cannabis-infused coconut oil or cocoa butter infused with Cannabis Oil.

How Do Cannabis Suppositories Work?Suppositories are in several ways more effective than traditional methods of cannabis medication administration. Once inside the anus, the medicinal compounds in suppositories are quickly absorbed through the intestinal wall directly into the bloodstream, which results in “superior bio-availability” over other forms of administration. That means you get more of the medicinal effects of the product using a suppository than if you smoked or ate the same amount.

Inhaled cannabis starts working almost immediately, but it wears off quickly unless you keep doing it periodically. The effects of oral cannabis might not be felt for 30–90 minutes because it has to travel through the intestine and liver. Although it can take 10–15 minutes for rectally inserted cannabis to kick in, effects can last four to eight hours.Inhaling cannabis is 10–25 percent efficient, depending on how much and how frequently you continue to smoke it. Eating cannabis is around 20 percent efficient, and it has varying effects every time. In contrast, rectal administration of cannabis is 50–70 percent efficient, and its effects are predictable from patient to patient and from dose to dose.

Who Should Use Cannabis Suppositories?Suppositories are an ideal choice for many patients, such as chemotherapy patients who experience severe nausea and can’t keep oral cannabis down, elderly and babies who can’t smoke or swallow pills, surgery patients who are not allowed to ingest anything immediately before or after a procedure, and patients in severe distress who can’t wait for oral cannabis to take effect. There are also some people who just have sensitive stomachs that are irritated by ingesting cannabis.

How Do You Make Cannabis Oil Suppositories?Added by CYOC*To make your own cannabis oil suppositories you will need organic cocoa butter (or coconut oil), cannabis oil and suppository molds. You want to start with 100 grams of cocoa butter for every 1-2 grams of cannabis oil. You can buy your cocoa Butter for suppositories in our online store by clicking here. You want to start with 1-2 grams of cannabis oil per 100 grams of cocoa butter as a starting point so the suppositories are not too strong. You can then increase the cannabis oil according to how much the patient needs or can tolerate.

The first step in making your suppositories is melting your cocoa butter. This can be easily done by putting the cocoa butter in a stainless or glass container and using a gentle heating device like a candle warmer to melt it. It doesn't take much heat to melt cocoa butter so if you use a stove top to melt your butter be careful not to burn it.

Once you have your cocoa butter melted you will add your cannabis oil. You will stir the melted cocoa butter/cannabis oil mixture together so that the oil is evenly mixed throughout. Keep the cocoa butter/oil on heat while stirring so that they mix together completely. Once you have your cocoa butter and cannabis oil mixed thoroughly you will pour the warm mixture into suppository molds. For adults you can use a 2ml+ size suppository while for a child you may want to consider a smaller suppository such as a 1.3ml. Disposable and reusable aluminum molds can be purchased right through the cureyourowncancer.org store by clicking here. Once you have filled all your molds you want to let the suppositories cool. This can be done very easily by putting them in the refrigerator or freezer. Once they become hard they are ready to use.

KAKOSI Organic Cocoa Butter 1 Pound (1lb) Bags

"Candle Warmer Etc." Original Electric Candle Warmer

How Do You Use Cannabis Suppositories?Most cannabis suppositories are available in a two gram size for adults and a one-gram size for children. They are wrapped in wax paper and stored in refrigeration. Before insertion, make sure the suppository is firm; if it’s not, put it in the refrigerator or freezer, or run the package under cold water, until it reaches the desired consistency. Wash your hands thoroughly, and make sure your nails are trimmed. It is recommended to use medical gloves. If you want to use a partial dose, cut the suppository lengthwise with sterile scissors.

Lie on your side and pull your upper leg towards your chest. Use your index finger to insert the suppository into your rectum, pointy end first. Place the suppository 1–1½ inches into the rectum, past the inner sphincter.

To prevent the suppository from sliding out, hold your buttocks together and squeeze your sphincter muscles tightly for a few seconds. Stay lying on your side for at least a few minutes. When you feel ready, you can get up, dispose of the glove if you used one, and wash your hands thoroughly. Be aware, though, that there’s a risk of slippage for the next several hours, so plan your activities accordingly.

What Should You Expect from Cannabis Suppositories?You will likely feel a warm, relaxing sensation wash over your body starting from the pelvic region. You may feel pain relief almost immediately, without anxiety or a “head high” lasting for hours. Most patients greatly enjoy the effects of cannabis suppositories, even more than other methods of ingestion.

Several different suppository formulations were evaluated in monkeys to determine the matrix that maximizes bioavailability and reduces first-pass metabolism [40][41]; THC-hemisuccinate provided the highest bioavailability of 13.5%. Brenneisen et al. evaluated plasma THC concentrations in two patients who were prescribed THC-hemisuccinate suppositories or Marinol® for spasticity [42]. THC did not accumulate in the blood following 10−15 mg daily doses. THC concentrations peaked within 1−8 h after oral administration, and ranged between 2.1 to 16.9 ng/ml. Rectal administration of 2.5−5 mg of THC produced maximum plasma concentrations of 1.1−4.1 ng/ml within 2−8 h. The bioavailability of the rectal route was approximately twice that of the oral route due to higher absorption and lower first-pass metabolism.